Central drag line system for non-cylindrical particle storage facilities

ABSTRACT

A PLURALITY OF DRAG LINES ARE ATTACHED TO CONTINUOUS CHAIN MOUNTED ABOVE A FLAT FLOOR OVER A FLOOR APERATURE IN THE CENTER OF A NON-CYLINDRICAL PARTICLE STORAGE FACILITY FOR DIGGING GRANULAR MATERIAL FROM A BASE OF A PILE AND CONVEYING THE MATERIAL TO THE FLOOR APERATURE.

Sept. 20, 1971 Filed July 22, 1969 J. L. PETERSON EI'AL 3,606,031 CENTRAL DRAG LINE SYSTEM FOR NON-CYLINDRICAL PARTICLE STORAGE FACILITIES 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR John L. Peferson BY George H. Pofh's will. ,a 1i. 2AM Afiys Sept. 20, 1971 PETERSON EI'AL 3,606,037

CENTRAL DRAG LINE SYSTEM FOE! NON-CYLINDHICAL PARTICLE STORAGE FACILITIES 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 22, 1969 INVENTOR. John ,L. Pehrson George H. PQH'cS Wu. JLQ- Sept. 20, 1971 PETERSON ETAL 3,606,037

CENTRAL DRAG LINE SYSTEM FOR NON-CYLINDRICAL PARTIQLE STORAGE FACILITIES Filed July 22. 1969 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. John E.. Pe #erson y G e o r98 H. Pdhs Sept. 20, 197] PETERSON EI'AL 3,606,037

(.ENTRAL DRAG LINE SYSTEM FOR NOR-CYLINDRICAL PARTICLE STQRAGE FACILITIES Filed July 22, 1989 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

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INVENTOK Jahn L. Pticraon BY GCOIBQ H- United States Patent U.S. Cl. 214-10 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A plurality of drag lines are attached to a continuous chain mounted above a flat floor over a floor aperture in the center of a non-cylindrical particle storage facility for digging granular material from a base of a pile and conveying the material to the floor aperture.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to particle storage facilities and more particularly to a non-cylindrical storage facility havin g a horizontal floor with central drag line systems for removing the granular material.

One of the principal objects of this invention is to provide a particle storage facility that has a non-cylindrical, cross section with the capability of removing the particles such as sawdust from the base of the pile in an eflicient and continuous manner.

An additional object of this invention is to provide a dragline system for a storage facility that is mounted centrally within the facility with the free ends of the draglines being biased outwardly in proportion to the drag forces exerted on the draglines.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent upon the reading of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A preferred embodiment of this invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a horizontal, cross-sectional view of a rectangular storage facility for receiving and storing material in a pile on a horizontal floor with a material removal system shown in plan view for removing the material at the base of the pile;

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-section view taken along lines 22 in FIG. 1 showing the material removal system in more detail with a continuous chain having a plurality of draglines connected thereto with the free end of the draglines being biased outwardly;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary vertical cross-sectional view taken along lines 33 in FIG. 1 showing in detail the drive means for moving the continuous chain;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary plan view of a section of the continuous chain and a section of the dragline means;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary detail plan view of an end of one dragline;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary side view of the end of the dragline shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary plan view of a force multiplying device for biasing the free end of the dragline outwardly into the base of the pile; and

'FIG. 8 is a plan view similar to FIG. 7 except showing the effects of an increased drag force being exerted on the dragline causing the force multiplying device to exert a proportionately greater biasing force on the free end of the dragline.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now in detail to the drawings, there is shown ice in plan view a walled storage facility, generally designated by arrow 10, having a rectangular cross section for receiving and supporting particles 11 on a horizontal floor 12. As shown in FIG. 1, the floor 12 has a rectangularshaped perimeter. Two diagonal crisscrossing elongated apertures 13(a) and 13(b) are formed in the floor at diagonal angles to the walls. Grates 14 and 15 are positioned in the central apertures to permit material to flow through the apertures while providing supporting areas flush with the floor 12. As shown in FIG. 2, belt conveyors are mounted beneath the aperture 13 for receiving the material and carrying the material from the particle storage facility to a boiler or the like.

The particle storage facility has a dragline means positioned immediately above the floor for removing the material from the center of the pile moving the material over the grates 14 and 15 to cause the material to flow through the apertures 13 and onto the conveyors 16 in a continuous manner. The dragline means includes a plurality of draglines 25 having one end of each dragline connected to an elongated horizontal continuous chain 26 centrally mounted in the facility immediately above the floor. The flights of the chain 26 are substantially parallel with the aperture 13(a). The chain is supported off the floor a sufficient distance to enable material to pass unler the chain and into the aperture 13(a). The continuous elongated chain 26 is driven by a drive sprocket mechanism 27 (FIG. 3).

A hood 28 is mounted in the storage facility covering the continuous chain 26 with the sides of the hood extending outward sufficiently to provide escape spaces to house the draglines when cave-ins occur and to further prevent the sawdust in its natural angle of repose (FIG. 2) from clogging and interfering with the movement of the continuous chain and draglines.

Each of the draglines 25 has an end bucket 30 (FIGS. 5 and 6) formed on the free end for digging into the base of the sawdust as the dragline is moved over the floor. The bucket 30 has a base 32 with a hinge joint 33 formed thereon for pivotally supporting a curved tip 31. A spring 34 is mounted on each hinge joint for biasing the curved tip to an extended position shown in solid line (FIG. 5). The springs 34 enable the curved tip 31 to flex backward as shown in dotted line (FIG. 5) should the bucket engage an obstruction. A curved bracket 35 is formed on the base 32 of the bucket.

Each dragline 25 has a main line 37 and an end biasing line 38. The main line 37 includes a plurality of interconnected link frames 45 (FIG. 3) that extend from the bucket to a carriage 60. Each of the lengths of frames 45 (FIGS. 2, 3 and 4) has an upper link connecting member 46 and a lower link connecting member 47. An upright channel member 48 is welded between the two members 46 and 47. A pin 50 interconnects the ends of the lower and upper connecting members 46 and 47 to adjacent link frames. A collar 51 surrounds each pin 50. A horizontal locking bar 52 is welded between the side of the channel 48 and the collar 51 with an end projecting into the adjacent link frame for engaging the side surface of the adjacent channel 48 (see FIGS. 3 and 4). The locking bars 52 limit the degree of pivotal freedom of the link frames so that the frames can pivot only in one direction from a substantially straight line. The locking bars 50 give the link frames a knee action to provide a substantially rigid pull line when forces are exerted on the free end tending to swing the free end outward from the carriage 60 while at the same time enabling the dragline to flex around the ends of the elongated continuous chain as the draglines move from one side of the floor to the other.

Each of the link frames 45 has a shield plate 54 fixed to one side of the frame by horizontal gusset plates 55. The first link frame of the pull line is connected to a carriage 60 that is movably supported in tracks 61 that run along the flights of the continuous chain 26. The tracks have an upper channel member 62 and a lower channel member 63 that vertically straddle the continous chain 26. Carriage has a main frame 65 supported by wheels 68 riding in the channels 62 and 63. The carriage 60 has a vertical pin 70 that fastens the first link frame to the carriage.

The end biasing line 38 has a roller chain 72 fastened to the bracket 35 and extending to a second or forward carriage 73. When the dragline rounds the corners the roller chain 72 biases against and is supported by the shield plates 54 as shown in FIG. 4. The carriage 73 is quite similar to the carriage 60 having a main frame 74 with wheels 76 riding in the channels 62 and 63 forward of the carriage 60. A link (FIGS. 7 and 8) interconnects the carriage 73 to the continuous chain 26 for pulling the dragline over the floor.

A force multiplying device 77 is mounted on the carriage 73 interconnecting the end biasing line 38 in proportion to the drag forces exerted on the main line 37. The greater the drag forces exerted on the dragline, the greater the tension on the end biasing line 38 tending to swing the free end outward from the continuous chain 26. The force multiplying device 77 is in the form of a block and tackle having a cable 78 connected at one end 80 to the pin 70 and wound around pulleys mounted on the end of the chain 72 and the carriage 73. The other end 81 of the cable is attached to a pin 82 fixed on the carriage 73. In this embodiment the block and tackle has a force ratio of 4. FIG. 8 shows the effect of increased drag forces being exerted on the dragline to lengthen the distance between the carriages 60 and 73 and decrease the distance between the forward end of the end biasing line 38 and the carriage 73 causing an increased tension on the end biasing line 38 to pivot the free end of the draw line outward to maintain the main line 37 straigh texcept while rounding a corner. In this manner the free end is always biased outward into the base of the pile. The spacing between the carriages 60 and 73 provides a moment arm for pivoting the free end outward.

The drive sprocket mechanism for supporting and driving the continuous chain 26 includes a motor (FIG. 3) mounted under the hood adjacent one end of the continuous chain 26. The motor 90 drives a belt 91 to rotate a pulley 93 that is affixed to a shaft of a speed reducer 93. The speed reducer rotates a main shaft 94-. A sprocket 95 is affixed to the shaft for moving and supporting the continuous chain 26. Freely rotatable idler wheels 96 and 97 are mounted on the shaft above and below the sprocket 94 respectively for supporting the draglines around the end of the chain path. The wheels 96 and 97 engage the pins 50 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

The hood 28 is supported above the continuous chain 26 on vertical support members 100 (FIG. 2). The hood has a hip-shaped roof with outside edges 103 that extend outward sufliciently to prevent the natural fiow of sawr dust into the chain.

It should be noted that the removal system removes the sawdust from the center bottom of the pile first and then moves outward toward the sides. In this manner the oldest material in the facility is removed first.

We claim:

1. A particle storage facility for receiving and storing granular particle material such as sawdust, comprising:

(a) a horizontal support fioor having a non-circular perimeter for supporting the granular particle material in a pile, said floor having at least one elongated centrally located aperture formed therein;

(b) an elongated continuous chain mounted centrally in the facility above the support floor;

(c) a plurality of elongated draglines slidably mounted on the horizontal floor with one end of each dragline operatively connected to the chain and the other end free to move over the floor and aperture;

(d) a hood mounted centrally in the facility above the continuous chain with sides that extend outwardly a sufficient distance to prevent the particles in repose from covering the continuous chain;

(e) biasing means operatively connected between the free ends and the chain for biasing the free ends outward from beneath the hood toward the floor perimeter toengage the base of the pile; and

(f) drive means operatively connected to the continuous chain for moving the draglines over the floor and against the base of the pile to remove the particles and move the particles to the floor aperture.

2. The particle storage facility as defined in claim 1 wherein the biasing means exerts a force on the free end of the drag means tending to move the free end outward from the continuous chain that is proportional to the drag forces exerted on the draglines.

3. The particle storage facility as defined in claim 1 wherein each of the drag means includes a bucket mounted on the free end thereof that has a flexible tip that will deflect if an obstruction is encountered.

4. The particle storage facility as defined in claim 1 further comprising a second aperture formed in the floor intersecting the first aperture and wherein the chain is mounted parallel with and straddling the second floor aperture at a distance above the floor sufficient to permit the particles to flow underneath the chain and into apertures without clogging the chain.

5. The particle storage facility as defined in claim 1 wherein each elongated dragline comprises a plurality of pivotally interconnected link frames in which each link frame is freely pivotable inward and has a stop means to limit outward pivotal movement of the succeeding link frame to interlock the link frames together to form an inflexible dragline when the free end of the dragline is moved outward toward the floor perimeter and a flexible dragline when the free end is moved inward from the floor perimeter.

6. The particle storage facility as defined in claim 5 wherein the biasing means includes a cable means under tension having one end connected to the free end of the dragline and the other end operatively connected to the continuous chain forward of the dragline for swinging the free end of the dragline outward toward the floor perim eter.

7. The particle storage facility as defined in claim 1 further comprising:

tracks centrally mounted in the facility along the flights of the continued chain;

a front carriage mounted for movement along the tracks, said first carriage being connected to the continuous chain for movement therewith;

a rear carriage mounted for movement in the tracks spaced rearward of the front carriage, in which said one end of the dragline is connected thereto; and said biasing means having a pulley and cable means operatively interconnecting the dragline free end, the front carriage and the rear carriage for pulling the rear carriage behind the front carriage and for swinging the free end of the dragline outward with a force proportional to the drag resistance encountered by the dragline.

8. The particle storage facility as defined in claim 1 wherein the biasing means has a force means for biasing the free end of the dragline outward with the force proportional to the drag resistance encountered by the dragline.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,407,943 10/1968 Douglass 2l417.82 3,424,295 1/1969 Wahl 214--17.82X 3,469,720 9/1969 Peterson 21417.8

ROBERT G. SHERIDAN, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

l98l70, 171; 214-17DB 

